This invention relates generally to forage harvesters and, more particularly, to those including a motorized vehicle attached to a floating attachment.
During harvesting operations, a motorized vehicle portion of a harvester may be used with one of several harvesting attachments such as, for example, corn snapping, row crop, windrow pickup and direct cut attachments. It is, therefore, advantageous to be able to hitch or couple an attachment and vehicle as quickly and easily as possible. Such coupling is usually accomplished by means of cooperating coupling elements, one of which is connected to the vehicle and the other of which is connected to the attachment.
To perform a coupling operation, the coupling element on the vehicle portion is guided toward the coupling element on the attachment and when proper alignment is accomplished, the coupling elements are urged into engagement. Some coupling operations require manual assistance.
A limitation of such coupling operation arises due to the fact that although the vehicle may be guided toward the attachment to align the elements, coupling cannot be carried out successfully if the ground surface on which the respective vehicle and attachment rest is irregular so that one of the coupling elements is higher or lower than the other. To remedy this, the attachment must be raised or lowered such as by means of a jack or the like. In some heavy attachments, jack stands have been provided as part of the attachment. In order to operate the jack, the operator is inconvenienced by having to leave the vehicle.
Another limitation may occur during uncoupling. Again due to an irregular ground surface, the attachment and vehicle coupling components may be jammed into engagement in such a way that movable latches or pins of the coupling components cannot be separated for uncoupling until the attachment is moved relative to the vehicle to relieve such jamming.
The foregoing illustrates limitations of the known prior art. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations as set forth above.